People in the News: Hilton says she's just an act

Who knew? The "real" Paris Hiltonisn't the one we see on "reality" TV.

"I'm always playing a character," Hilton tells Blender magazine, saying the voice she uses on "The Simple Life" is an act.

"I don't talk like this really -- like a baby. I don't act like myself in public because I don't really want to show everyone the real me. Because I have no privacy whatsoever, the only thing I have is who I really am."

Hugh Laurie, the British actor who won a Golden Globe for his role on the Fox medical drama, "House," says speaking like an American isn't as easy as it sounds.

"I haven't identified a single word that is pronounced the same in America as it is in England," the actor tells Entertainment Weekly.

"It's as if you're playing left-handed. Or like everyone else is playing with a tennis racket and you have a salmon. I moan about it a lot."

The third season of "House" premieres Sept. 5.

This just in: Common sense prevails in Germany. Prosecutors have decided against opening an investigation into the mock crucifixion scene performed by Madonna at her weekend concert in Dusseldorf.

A crowd of about 45,000 packed LTU Arena Sunday night to watch the first of two German concerts on the singer's worldwide Confessions tour.

The scene -- in which Madonna rises from the stage on a mirrored cross while wearing a crown of fake thorns to sing "Live To Tell" -- drew criticism from religious leaders in Italy earlier this month.

Spokesman Johannes Mocken said the concert stunt might be "hurtful to religious people," but there was no indication of a criminal offense. Mocken said the scene was covered by laws protecting artistic freedom.